We always thought that thickening ingredients would always be needed to make thick creamy vegan yogurt. I have tried using soy milk (made with a Joyoung soy milk maker) without adding thickener. The result was rather thin and watery, OK as a yogurt drink.

Donna Haney figured out a much simpler way to make fairly thick and creamy soy milk yogurt. The method is to use store purchased unsweetened soy milk, pour it into a pint mason jar, add vegan yogurt starter, place the jar in Instant Pot IP-DUO and start the Yogurt function. 9~10 hours later the vegan yogurt is made. Chilling it in the fridge for further firmness and better taste.

Thinking that home made soy milk should produce good vegan milk too. I tried a double measure of the soy beans with the same amount of water in my Joyoung soy milk maker. The soy milk it produced this time was pretty dense. After letting it cool down, I used Donna’s simple method to make vegan yogurt. It was a success. The firmness is very close to dairy yogurt. The flavor is tangy, probably due to the yogurt starter (Bifidobacterium).

I think the heat might be a little too extreme for kefir, since it ferments at just above room temperature. Check out the requirements at culturesforhealth.com and compare it to the cooking temperatures for the yogurt setting.

Hello Heddi, the “Yogurt” setting on the DUO and Smart models is 36 ~ 43°C (96.8 ~ 109.4°F). There is also a “More” mode which can used to scald milk before culturing, and a “Less” mode which can be used to incubate and tempeh (for example). This information can be found in the User Manual, and online here: http://instantpot.us/benefits/specifications-and-manuals/

Soy is “controversial” thanks to anti-vegan groups like the Weston A Price Foundation. There is nothing to be feared in moderate organic soy consumption.

That being said, I have made yogurt in the past using coconut milk (either purchased, or made directly from a coconut). Works beautifully. Though, because I was making it for infants and toddlers, I didn’t really care about the fat, which is much higher than with soy milk.

The science shows that 3 servings a day is the sweet spot– it’s very protective for health. But because most soy in the US is produced for livestock feed (and is GMO), you only want to consume organic soy. But do consume it if you can, it’s good for you.

Hi cookers! I just got my Instant Pot as a gift. I called the company right away because I wanted to make sure I can do all my canning. Since I started my own canning I don’t feel nausea or have upset stomach. I love to cook to keep my family healthy and away from all those preservatives in fast food and in cans from grocery stores. I have alot of receipes if your interested. Have fun with your pot. I know I will.

Yes! I’d love to see your recipes for canning. I want to can half-runner green beans with my instant pot. I grew up canning those with my mom and grandma, but am too afraid to use their old pressure cooker. Would love to hear of your success in this wonderful pot!!!

I too would like to see your canning recipes since I have a large amount of green beans, tomatoes and corn to process this year. I have never used a pressure cooker before, so this will certainly be enlightening for me.

Instant Pot has not been tested for food safety in pressure canning by USDA. Due to the fact that programs in Instant Pot IP-CSG, IP-LUX and IP-DUO series are regulated by a pressure sensor instead of a thermometer, the elevation of your location may affect the actual cooking temperature. For now, we wouldn’t recommend using Instant Pot for canning purpose.

Donna K. Reply:August 27th, 2014 at 8:20 am

I would also like to see your canning recipes. I have never canned, but want to try.

Instant Pot has not been tested for food safety in pressure canning by USDA. Due to the fact that programs in Instant Pot IP-CSG, IP-LUX and IP-DUO series are regulated by a pressure sensor instead of a thermometer, the elevation of your location may affect the actual cooking temperature. For now, we wouldn’t recommend using Instant Pot for canning purpose.

The only storebought soy milk that folks have found to work for yogurt are those that only have soybeans and water as ingredients. Westsoy is one brand, but there are others. Soy Dream Original Classic has added rice syrup, yet it also works if you don’t mind the extra sweetness.

Alas, you are then dealing with a layer of bpa film that is contaminating all soymilk in those aseptic containers. I always make soymilk with a tsp or two of organic, jade rice. I use more or less depending on the thickness. In turn, this creates a creamy yogurt that is very much like storebought and far from watery. Best thing about my soymilk? It has no bpa and therefore no synthetic estrogen that comes from the bpa lined containers. Just something to think about because no company has put a no bpa disclaimer on their aseptic packaging because there are no aseptic packages that are free of bpa.